An indictment drafted by an İstanbul prosecutor seeks a jail sentence of four years, eight months for journalist Levent Gültekin, an outspoken government critic and a columnist for the diken news website, on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Gültekin is accused of insulting Erdoğan in comments he made on Medyascope, an online TV station, on Dec.12, 2016.

The indictment claims Gültekin went beyond the limits of criticism and committed the crime of insult against Erdoğan.

If the indictment is accepted by the court, Gültekin will stand trial.

Scores of people in Turkey have been detained or arrested or are under investigation on allegations of insulting Erdoğan.

As of the end of 2016, at least 10,000 people were under investigation on suspicion of terrorist propaganda and insulting senior state officials on social media.